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Hold'em poker (a.k.a.
‘Texas Holdem') is the most popular from all the
poker games around and the one most seen and talked about on
television, the internet, and elsewhere. There are 3 types of
Hold'em games:
- Limit Hold'em - specific betting limit applied to each game and each round
- Pot Limit Hold'em - players can bet what’s in the pot
- No Limit Hold'em - players can bet all of their chips at any time
Hold'em poker generally employs what is referred to as a "dealer
button" to identify the imaginary dealer of each hand. After
each hand, just like in standard poker, the “button” moves
clockwise to the next active player. This player will then be
considered “dealer” for that hand. As a rule - unless otherwise
stated - a single deck of cards is used; 52 cards, excluding the
jokers.
1st round
A new game begins with the 1st person sitting at the table as
the dealer and the following player—seated to the dealer’s
left—putting up what’s referred to as “the small blind.”
***(The small blind is formally equal to ½ of the lower stake at
any given table, but this is simply a guideline and not a
unbendable rule. What usually happens is that the small blind is
rounded down to the nearest whole dollar. So, if you’re playing
at a $5/$10 Hold'em table for example, you would expect the
small blind to be $2.50. But actually, the small blind would
only be $2. Different procedures apply to different tables, so
be sure you know what’s expected of you. This ‘rounding down’
concept, however, is very typical in most online poker
rooms.)***
The player to the left of the small blind must post “the big
blind;” equal to the lower stake limit. In certain situations
it’s ok for more than one player to post a big blind in a hand.
This can happen if a new player joins a table at which a game is
already under way. The new player gets the option of placing a
big blind at the start of the next hand or waiting for his or
her turn (depending on the movement of the button) to place the
big blind in turn. ***(Just as a reminder, all of the blinds in
Hold'em poker are considered live bets and the players who post
them have the option of checking, calling, raising or folding
when the action returns to them.)***
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After the blinds have been laid down, the down cards/hole cards
are dealt to each active player. In Hold'em, 2 cards are dealt
to each of the players, after which the first betting round
begins. The player to the left of the player who placed the big
blind starts the betting for the round.
Each player now has the option to place his or her bets in the
1st round, in which the values are set at the lower limit of the
stake structure. For example, in a $10/$20 Hold'em game, the
cost of each bet is $10 for the first round. When we say that
the bets are limited to $10, it refers to a SINGLE BET. In other
words, a regular bet is $10 but a raise would be $20, since it
encompasses one additional bet and a call on a player’s previous
bet.
Bets can be placed accordingly: 1) betting, 2) calling and 3)
raising. Each player also has the alternative to fold if he/she
chooses to do so. These options are available to each player
depending on the action taken by the player before. The 1st
player to act in the 1st round sits to the left of the big
blind, and naturally gets the bet, call and raise options before
anyone else. Subsequent players have solely the options of call
and raise. Remember, calling means betting the same as what the
previous player has bet. Raising means raising whatever the
bet/call amount of the previous player, and can be calculated
based on the value of the previous bet.
Every player participating in the hand should place the same bet
amount as the previous players (including bets, calls and
raises). The betting will continue until all players have placed
equal amounts in the pot. There is, however, a limit on the
amount and the number of bets a player can place during a single
betting round. Check other pages in Rules section for details on
this.
After the 1st round of betting is over, the 3 community
cards—A.K.A., “the flop”—are dealt. All players participating in
the hand share these cards.
2nd round
After the flop and in each subsequent betting round, the first
active player to the left of the button, or dealer, is first to
act. And just like in the first round, the second round limits
the value of bets and raises to the lower limit of the stake
structure. In a $10/$20 game, then, each bet is $10 for the
second round, and raises are again at $20.
After the bets have been made, the fourth community card is
dealt. This one’s known as “the turn.”
3rd round
The 3rd betting round starts again with the player to the left
of the button, but bets and raises are now moved to the upper
limit of the stake structure (at a $10/$20 table, $20 would be
the upper limit). Following the same pattern, that means that
single bets are $20, and raises are $40.
Following the 3rd round of bets, the fifth and final community
card - called the “river” - is dealt out.
4th round
The fourth and final round parallels the 3rd round. The betting
structure is at the upper limits, as opposed to the lower limits
used in the first two rounds. Again, that means single bets are
$20 are a $10/$20 table, and raises are $40.
Various standard rules for Texas Hold’em:
A maximum of 4 bets, including one bet and three raises, are
allowed for each betting round per player.
The term “cap” describes the final raise in a round, since
betting is then “capped” and no player can make another raise.
Once capped, players will have the option of calling or folding
only. Folding can be done at any stage of the game. The action
of folding means that the player is no longer considered as part
of the game, and he/she forfeits any and all rights over pots
created on the table.
Aside from folding, a player also has the choice of “checking”,
which means that the player passes his or her turn without
placing a bet. This option is not always available to the
player, and depends on the actions taken by the previous player
in the hand. The player MUST match the amount of the bets placed
by other players for each round in the hand.
Poker is typically played by “table stakes,” which means that
only the chips in play at the beginning of each hand can be used
throughout the hand. This means that players cannot get
additional funds from the cashier while they are in the midst of
a game. The table stakes rule has an application called the “all
in” rule, which states that a player cannot be forced to forfeit
a hand because he or she doesn’t have enough chips to call a
bet.
A Poker History Lesson
The game of poker has many variations but the standard idea behind the game is simple – players bet on the value of a card combination (or hand) by betting into a central pot. Whoever holds the highest value hand wins.
The history of Poker on the other hand is not as simple and is actually the subject of much debate.
Poker is argued to have many origins including the German game Pochspiel (from the 15th century), the Persian game of As Nas and the French game Poque. Poker has also been said to share an ancestry with the Renaissance game of Primero and the French Brelan (which spawned an English game called Brag).
Each of these games incorporates some pieces to what we today call poker – whether it be betting on cards, bluffing or the ranking of hands.
In North America, the game was said to have been played in New Orleans in 1829 (with 20 cards and four players betting on hands) which then spread across to the Mississippi river and further to the West.
The 52-card English deck followed as did other poker games such as draw, stud and the straight after the American Civil War. Around 1925 further additions were made including the wild card, low-ball, split pot and community card poker. It is also said that poker spread across to Asia due to the U.S. military.
Today, poker is one of the most popular forms of gambling around owing to several recent developments. The World Series of Poker, the ability to play at online casinos
, the invention of the hole-card camera (changing the game into a spectator’s sport as well) and the vast amounts of movies and books on the subject have all been contributing factors to its success and popularity across the world.
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